As I continue to sew with my girls I am made aware of the benefits that can only come from working with your hands; from learning to take flat pieces of material and work with them until they come together to make a 3-dimensional object that not only has purpose but is full of love and care.

These benefits come from all crafts, not just sewing: woodwork, crocheting, knitting, candle making, painting, cooking...

What has surprised me the most are the changes in their character that have been specifically enhanced by their early sewing experience.

As you teach your child to sew, or learn yourself you will begin to see these same benefits.

1. Try New Things/ Use Imagination

With the way that we approached sewing it naturally encouraged the girls to try new things, to think beyond what had already been done, and to use their imagination. They started looking at things differently. They would see something and would automatically try to make their own, or they would talk about all the ways they could change it or add something to it.

2. Mistakes Are Okay

They have carried the attitude outside of sewing that, as long as you have learned from your mistakes, and try again, mistakes are okay. They love the story of Thomas Edison. When asked by a reporter "how long did it take for you to invent the light bulb?", he stated "I did 1000 experiments before I invented it". The reporter responded, "it is amazing you continued on, wasn't that discouraging? Thomas Edison answered, "of course not - I learned 999 times how not to make it"!

This mentality has made them try things that they wouldn't have otherwise tried because of fear of failure. Instead of having an attitude of "I can't" when things go wrong, they say "let's keep trying"!

3. Perseverance

With each completed project, their perseverance and determination grew. They have been able to see the benefits of following through to the end.

This has carried on into other areas of their lives. As they have worked on difficult projects or ones that take a lot of time, they have been able to understand more readily that it's worth the work.

4. Confidence

Confidence in their ability to do things that most kids their age weren't/aren't doing grew. Prior to sewing my oldest daughter (always by the book) would check the ages on games, and if her age wasn't included she wouldn't attempt learning, thinking it was too difficult for her. As people started commenting on their amazement with her degree of sewing at such a young age, that changed drastically! She no longer places limits on herself.

5. Help And Encourage Others

A desire to help and encourage other kids to learn the same skills they have acquired surfaced. Because our girls were enjoying making things on their own, they wanted to pass it on. They would take every opportunity to teach their friends. Through this, they have experienced the joys of celebrating other people's accomplishments, and have matured in their ability to transfer their knowledge into words.

We are now six years down the road. My oldest has found a passion in sewing, while my youngest enjoys having the ability to sew. More importantly, is what they have gained from this experience. The benefits and blessings of our sewing journey have carried on into all the areas of their lives.

Remember, many of these benefits are directly related to you, as your child's teacher (or as in my case partner) in this sewing journey. So just relax, enjoy, and have fun! Your character will change and grow as well, just as mine has!